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Xerin Hedashield
Xerin Hedashield is the true antagonist in Across the Portal: Interference and Across the Portal: Insurgence and the mistress of Darth Mutialatus. When she was young, she founded and became the Supreme Leader of the Third Order with Darth Mutialatus as her right-hand man. Biography Early life (268-258 BBY) Xerin Hedashield was born on Vrael in 268 BBY. She was sensed by the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Mutialatus, shortly after her birth. Since she was a small child, she created wondrous gadgets which she usually kept to herself, a hobby she would carry into adulthood. During her elementary school years, Hedashield was an athletic and decidedly adorable girl with a strong passion for sports. Creating the Third Order (257-250 BBY) Enrolling in junior high However, the stress of enrolling in junior high, coupled with her being at puberty age, caused Hedashield to gradually lost her interest in sports and become addicted to eating sweets, which she sometimes stole from her father. Other students noticed that by the time seventh grade was over she was undoubtedly gaining weight. Nevertheless, the increasingly sedentary teenager had lost none of her good looks or brilliance. It is unknown when she began her way down the wicked path, but by this point, she was already seeking arcane and ancient lore and scheming to create the Third Order, an organization determined to bring glory to the galaxy through her own rule, as she sought to order things according to her own judgement. Due to her exceptional acting skills, she was able to convince nearly everyone that she was an innocent, polite, brilliant, and adorable model student aspiring to become a scientist. During her junior high education, she befriended a girl named Vlaire, a girl who, like Hedashield, was ambitious and was good at projecting a "sweet little girl" facade. She came to love Hedashield with a passion, and while she appreciated Vlaire in turn, she felt no real emotional attachment to her. The two spent a lot of time together and enjoyed initiating numerous "nasty incidents" that happened throughout their time at school that the authorities were never completely able to link to them. Three years after she met Vlaire, in 254 BBY, Hedashield met a boy named Hammass during Kitchen Economics. The two had been working on cutting ayha roots and she had lent him a hand and the two had talked, albeit briefly because she wanted to shut down the conversation. She heard him coo when she cheered in response to the chef saying their food was done, causing her to scoff and roll her eyes. However, a few days later, she realized he had developed a crush on her. She was initially unkind to him and tried to avoid him when his advances became more passionate. However, he eventually chose to move on from her. Alliance with the Sith In 253 BBY, Xerin Hedashield ran into Hammass and they shared a civil conversation and began bonding together. Hedashield learned that, like her, she was a technical genius, which she thought she may be able to take advantage of someday. The following year, she came into regular contact with Darth Mutialatus and told him of her plans, of a new order that she was planning to create, which she decided on the fly would be known as the Third Order. Because Hedashield could not resist linking her future organization with the Order of the Sith Lords, and Mutialatus saw her potential to amass vast resources to help them both profit, Mutialatus promised to serve her the moment she located an ideal base of operations. Der Erebolten Two months after their promises to each other, Hedashield somehow discovered a science tower on a planet called Der Erebolten in 251 BBY and decided it would suffice for the Third Order's headquarters. That night, her boyfriend Hammass asked her out and she agreed, the two went on their first date. Hedashield woke up in the middle of the night due to thirst, where she realized that she had been holding her boyfriend's hand in slumber. Hedashield worked quietly, reprogramming the robots to serve her alone, to swear all loyalty. She reluctantly had them turn on Hammass and shoot him to ensure they were not followed, and they fled to the science tower just before sunrise. Safe in the science tower, Xerin began making her lifelong dream a reality, starting by recruiting individuals in high places, who in turn helped her recruit many officers, nobles and technologists, who all fled with her to Der Erebolten. Most of her soon-to-be followers would have likely perished while crossing this uncharted realm if it had not been for the ancient hyperspace trails blazed by a retinue of mute alien navigators that believed Hedashield's views were right and superior to those of the current Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. Together, these rogues based on Der Erebolten and served Darth Mutialatus, who acted on Hedashield's orders thus creating the Third Order. While Mutialatus gave most of the orders and generally appeared to be in charge, Hedashield closely monitored him, telling him what to do and what orders to give, and essentially becoming the Supreme Leader of her organization. Xerin Hedashield also founded a relatively formal organization called the Grabbers, a band of mercenaries subordinate to the Third Order. Yaxa became an Admiral to the Order, but according to Darth Mutialatus, he was formally stripped of this rank due to his incompetent nature. Completing her education Xerin, however, still attended high school while presumably operating the Third Order on the side. She also continued to hang out with Vlaire. Apparently, she attended the same high school as the Omnipotent One. When he was ill and in need of an antidote, Hedashield came to his aid. She brought him an exceptionally complex array of treatment materials that he needed. It is possible that she created them herself. This made him very fond of her. She had spent less than a week in the tower when the robots finished building her consumption speeder. Xerin drove it to the store, where it sucked out all the candy and soda and they stacked themselves neatly on the shelves inside the speeder's giant box. She drove home, undetected, as everyone in the store ran amok, having no idea what had happened. On Der Erebolten, the box implanted itself into the wall, effectively becoming her food shelf. There were only two weeks of school left, during which time Xerin made another grocery store plunder in the same city as the first. At this point, she chose to abandon all restraint and gorge herself whenever she wanted, as her barbaric yet effective methods ensured she had a virtually unlimited amount of food, particularly candy. Subsequently, Xerin came to school wearing a colorful midriff shirt nearly every day now, since she didn't feel like changing. Every day she would wake up, gorge herself on candy, board her speeder, and park discreetly at high school. On her last day of school, she said a tearful goodbye to Vlaire, but she apparently had never told her about the Third Order, as she lied about why her stomach had expanded even further out. Hedashield returned to her headquarters, promising to stay in touch via Holobook. Galactic conquest (250-240 BBY) After school, Hedashield returned to her headquarters, remaining secluded within its walls and rarely leaving except on special errands. Hedashield was extremely selective about who was allowed in her chamber and when she did permit someone she always dominated the entire affair. This was mainly because she was aware that no one in the Third Order was genuinely loyal to her as a person, instead turning their loyalty entirely to the cause itself, making her think they could care less about what happened to her. While she found her life to be very enjoyable, she was also extremely lonely, starving for somebody's company but having no idea who to trust. She always kept an illegally modified blaster under her pillow on her bed. Assassination of Saint Pyro Eventually, she learned from Saint Pyro that a Pearian may appear in the galaxy at some point in the near future. Believing a Pearian would be very useful in her plans of galactic domination, Hedashield ordered Pyro's slaughter, as she hoped to destabilize St. Pyro's Center for Militarized Sciences. While Pyro's assassination was successful, she failed to end the science program, as Pyro, in his dying breaths, placed a scientist named R'ockienc in charge. In the mix, Hedashield began seeking out an apprentice for Darth Mutialatus on the Holonet, which her access to was all but unlimited. Several individuals volunteered, finding this idea an honor. Hedashield was particularly impressed by a small Twi'lek boy named Thomas Slovak, though she accepted the fact that the choice was entirely up to Mutialatus. She chose not to reveal this to him until the time was right, further alluding to her undeniably strong patience. Recruitment of Captain Cole Xerin also arranged a secret meeting with sixteen-year-old Cole, something his family approved of. Even though his parents were never Sith followers themselves, they agreed with many of the Sith's beliefs and values. The following morning, Cole found her typing and eating in her private chamber, and the two spoke with each other. Discovery of a Pearian When she was twenty-eight years old, Xerin Hedashield learned that a Pearian had appeared on Coruscant. She learned that the Pearian, whose name was Kristen, was being accompanied by a Jedi Padawan named B'en'jamin Thorrn, and she sent Yaxa and fellow Grabber Marion to capture the children and bring them unharmed to the science tower to be questioned by Darth Mutialatus. Upon learning of their failure from Mutialatus via comlink, Hedashield ruthlessly arranged for their private execution by General Gore. Somehow, she acquired an exotic marble owned by Jedi Master Yoda and entrusted to a Jedi Knight. Owning the marble confirmed that Kristen and Thorrn were to follow the individual. Marble mystery Immediately after the Grabbers' deaths, Xerin Hedashield took off in her personal speeder to seek out Kristen and B'en'jamin Thorrn herself, believing that disclosing information whilst leaving out the essentials would earn their trust. She tracked them to an isolated field where they were hiding from the Third Order (albeit ignorant to what the Order was). Thorrn immediately showed her a vintage necklace made of Phrik, which she was glad to hear more about, but Kristen told her about the marble entrusted to them by Yoda. Thorrn developed an instant crush, while Kristen was wary of Hedashield (though she was currently suspicious of everyone). They arrived at Xerin's apartment, where Hedashield brought Thorrn upstairs with her, wishing to speak with them separately in order to give them information they would find incredibly useful whilst cleverly withholding the essentials. When they entered her bedroom, Hedashield changed into her bedclothes and offered Thorrn a snack, before questioning his knowledge of the prophecy of the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force. Hedashield also revealed that she knew how Kristen appeared in the Star Wars galaxy, something she claimed he did not yet need to know. Xerin then interrogated B'en, wanting to know about the Chosen One who was allegedly destined to bring balance to the Force. B'en, however, did not find this likely, though Xerin thought otherwise, she could find no backup to this claim, so she dropped the subject and they prepared to leave. B'en told her a joke about space slugs and in turn, she told him a joke about neebrays. They returned to the playplace and Xerin picked up Kristen, dropping B'en off. In her room, she realized that Kristen was incredibly curious, so Hedashield spoke to her fluently to explain everything she wanted to know in a levelheaded way. Kristen learned that a failed experiment of St. Pyro's Center for Militarized Sciences intending to learn how to travel outside the galaxy has resulted in her abduction. Hedashield pointed out that the leader of the laboratory beckoned her several times. She chided Kristen for not answering, who shrugged her off by asking what Pearians were. When Xerin claimed it was a great mystery, Kristen asked how to return to Earth. Xerin told her to seek out the mysterious and all-powerful Omnipotent One. Tracking the Pearian Intrigued by both of the children, Hedashield followed them downstairs and offered them the opportunity to spend the night with her. Both of them obliged. Thorrn seemed to bond with Hedashield during this time, and when daylight came, Hedashield allowed the children to borrow a speeder and gave them advice on how best to get offworld again. Thorrn begged Hedashield to come with them, catching her off guard by tenderly holding her hand, and while she acted touched by this, she let go of his hand and returned upstairs. Captain Cole came to visit her afterwards, and after two two-liter bottles of root beer and six small Gove candies, she told him to ensure the children got offworld and told him she intended to use Darth Mutialatus to lure them back to Der Erobelten. However, Cole's lack of interest raised her suspicions that he may be planning to betray her. Following this event, on Hedashield's orders the Third Order ambushed the children on several fronts, but they proved nearly impossible to capture, even by Mutialatus himself. The end of cold war (240 BBY) A couple days later, Darth Mutialatus spoke with Hedashield, and they agreed that two Grabbers would not be enough to try again. Concurrently, Mutialatus dispatched ten Grabbers to capture the children on Geonosis. Their mission was a success, but the children fought their way out of their bonds and through the fortress, impressing Hedashield, who was watching them via security camera, with their fighting prowess. Shortly afterwards, she was approached by Captain Cole, who had brought the two children to mask his disenchantment and plan to betray and murder her. Hedashield responded by projecting a shield between herself and her enemies. As if out of nowhere, Darth Mutialatus appeared and killed Captain Cole. Shocked and overcome by agonizing pain, Cole falls to the ground in front of Hedashield. Infuriated that Hedashield was not any less indifferent regarding Cole's unexpected demise, Thorrn challenged her to a duel. In response, Xerin reached under her pillow and grabbed a blaster concealed under it. Standing up, she prepared to incapacitate Thorrn, as the last thing she wanted was to kill him. Suddenly, Cole used his powers to teleport the children away from the apartment and to safety, Hedashield could only watch as they twisted out the window. As Cole's life ebbed away, Hedashield seethed with fury at the loss of two valuable assets to her plans as well as her Captain. Just then, General Gore arrived in the room. Hedashield quietly expressed her doubt that B'en'jamin Thorrn is the Chosen One. Disappointed in Mutialatus for failing to stop Cole or foresee the latter's intent, Hedashield resolved to punish him soundly when she was no longer exhausted and when the two were alone. Hedashield decided that soon, she would risk coming out of the shadows to lead the Third Order, which was now public knowledge, to victory. However, the knowledge that this meant she could hire more able soldiers without fear of exposure or disloyalty comforted her. She took this chance to tell the Dark Lord of her Holonet campaign to find him an apprentice. She arranged to work alongside Mutialatus, an extension of her plan to expose herself before the Dark forces. His back turned, Mutialatus claimed that the Third Order was ready to prove to the Jedi Order that they existed. Xerin contradicted him, assuring him that the time to expose their conquest is not far away at all. In spite of her disappointment at this turn of events, Hedashield hopefully awaited the day that Thorrn would be claimed. Conflict of the Numbers (239 BBY-) With the Third Order struggling to keep their actions silent from the peering eyes of the Jedi Order, Xerin Hedashield ordered the initiation of several casualties. Many innocent lives were claimed and two planets were completely obliterated. The Conflict of the Numbers had officially begun. Fed up with the failures of her followers, Hedashield had finally grown tired of the lack of progress in her crusade and decided to take matters into her own hands. Hedashield also put her life on the line for a creature known only as "the Captain", unintentionally procuring his loyalty. The Captain ultimately replaced Captain Cole in the ranks of the Third Order. Before she tortured Mutialatus for failing her, she decided to preserve his trust and energy long enough to send him to Alderaan to force its inhabitants to forge several powerful war machines before massacring half the planet. Mutialatus' crusade lasted for five months. At some point, Xerin also went to a party where tens of thousands of people from all over the galaxy as part of a ruse. No one knew she was a member of the Third Order yet and those who did would be found and punished subtly since nobody could prove it just by looking at her. The celebration was a blast. Few people there had skimpy clothes on and Xerin was wearing one of her bras, which she got a lot of attention for. More than once she was asked if she was single or if she had a beer gut but she patiently explained that males "don't work for her" and she was just inactive. Four days later, several disappearances were reported because people had recognized her as the Supreme Leader. Punishing failure Upon learning of his return, Xerin Hedashield demanded Darth Mutialatus' presence by contacting him by using the Force to animate a rock, furiously telling him to come see her in person. When he arrived, Hedashield expressed her confidence in Mutialatus. But in light of her apprentice's failure at the hands of two children, coupled with the murder of Captain Cole, Hedashield's faith in Mutialatus' power began to waver. She proceeded to chastise him, calling him "weak and shallow of mind". Enraged, Mutialatus threatened to kill Hedashield, but she quickly knocked him unconscious with a blast of Force lightning that caused him to roll around on the floor in agony. He was carted out by Lieutenant Juliah. But once Mutialatus and Juliah left the throne room, Hedashield smiled to herself, eating and typing and humming contentedly. She must've used this brutal reprimand as a way to motivate her apprentice. If that was the case, then it worked: Mutialatus immediately began preparing the Third Order military for what appeared to be their final victory. Encountering B'en'jamin Thorrn Eventually, B'en'jamin Thorrn decided to ask Hedashield for a rank in the Third Order, as he intended to glean useful information from her. When Hedashield encountered Thorrn in a chamber (after being discovered by Hedashield's men as an eavesdropper and forced into their electrochair for interrogation), he pretended to request a chance to move against the Jedi without explaining his alleged reason for suddenly hating them. Hedashield doubted he was being sincere, and while she could tell he was conflicted about his feelings for her, she thought she could gleam useful information about the Jedi Order from him and effectively became the interrogator herself, not the interrogated. Motivated by this idea, Hedashield directed him to her private quarters. Once the two were comfortably seated, with Thorrn lamenting that the place looked very familiar, they began discussing morals of the Jedi Order and the Third Order. Hedashield insisted that the Jedi are blind, and while Thorrn initially defended this, he found himself being increasingly taken by his attraction to her. She finally got him to talk about Kristen whilst ingeniously pretending that he was the one who brought it up because she found it an uncomfortable subject. Thorrn finally confessed that he sincerely wanted to take revenge on her for cheating him. Believing Thorrn had struck gold, Hedashield promised to help him. Surprised, and wondering if they really did lack having anything in common, Thorrn surprised her by asking if he can fight alongside the Third Order during their upcoming siege on Coruscant. Hedashield, who saw an opportunity of her own, consented to let him tag along with her as long as he wore a ring located on her dresser to show his allegiance. The two began "recharging their batteries" — Hedashield let Thorrn rest on her bed while she typed on her computer, eating chocolate. Aboard the Vindicator Knowing that Kristen would return to the Jedi Temple in an effort to save the Jedi Order, Hedashield ordered Darth Mutialatus to send their forces to the planet where they would end the war and Yoda's ancient religion for good. Hedashield deliberately seduced Thorrn by changing into a sports bra that completely exposed her limbs and stomach and putting on a general air of naivety as they were preparing to leave. Determined to fulfill her oath in the upcoming battle for the galaxy, Hedashield told Thorrn to accompany her in her private speeder. Battle of Coruscant Along with B'en, Xerin rode with her army to Coruscant, where she asked Myddd if he had succeeded in killing Kristen. He said no, much to Hedashield's disappointment. During the battle, Hedashield commanded her army by using signal flags which tell a legion when to attack, while allowing Thorrn to caress her. On her orders, Mutialatus began by using mutated sando aqua monsters to dig a path through the towers. Yoda commanded the troops to rain lasers upon the Merciless while Kreddus stayed behind with his forces until needed. Hedashield noticed this, and when Thorrn pointed out that they could not fight on two fields at once, she sent the other half of her army, consisting mainly of spear men, to attack the city. Kreddus and his forces retreated to Galactic City. Hedashield ordered that the troopers continue pushing forward while she sent General Gore to personally kill Kristen as she believed their only focus should be to reach the Jedi Temple so she could destroy it. The Captain reported that Kristen was barricading herself and they were exhausting their resources, but the Supreme Leader insisted that none of this would matter. He reminded her of his debt to her, surprising her, as she did not believe there was a debt to be paid. Hedashield's now immense army nearly took Galactic City and cornered the Jedi, but Hedashield commanded her force to halt so that her droids could come forward. Then she commanded her army to annihilate the Men of Thorrn. Suddenly, Kristen and Company burst out of the Temple and charged the troops. Capturing Thorrn Phoenix and Victoria went after Hedashield but, when they reached there, Mutialatus snatched Victoria and impaled the adolescent through the torso with his lightsaber. An enraged Thorrn broke off to pursue the Dark Lord, but Hedashield turned and shouted at him, infuriated by his betrayal. He told her he had been playing her, but she coldly stated that she already figured that out for herself. To B'en'jamin Thorrn, Hedashield appeared an amorphous entity of shadowy mist floating around before she revealed herself. Barely needing any physical exertion for this, she captured the weakened Padawan. Having devastated the Jedi, Hedashield gazed out the window and smiled satisfactorily, content at her victory but still regretting the fact that the Third Order may never have Kristen. A new apprentice In the immediate aftermath of the battle, Thorrn promised to submit to her training, promising to serve her and do anything in his power to prove himself to the Supreme Leader. In response, Hedashield told Thorrn that she would give him one final chance on the condition that he captured Kristen. He did as she asked, imprisoning her aboard the Vindicator. Physical description During her elementary school years, Xerin Hedashield was a strong, healthy, and fit little girl with an above average height. Her passion for sports resulted in her having a thin, slightly muscular body as shown by her tight stomach. However, going into both junior high and puberty, she gradually lost her interest in sports and became addicted to eating sweets, so other students quickly noticed that she was undoubtedly gaining weight. Nevertheless, the increasingly sedentary teenager had lost none of her good looks, which she cleverly used to charm many of her teachers. In adulthood, Hedashield was tall, delicate, chubby, and beautiful. She was almost six feet tall. She had long, brown hair which was almost always held back by a simple black headband decorated with a diamond pattern, blue eyes, and was usually seen in one of three types of outfits. When traveling, she wore a decorative scarlet cloak over her body, which was decorated in a red abstract shape a little down from the collar. It was clasped with a carved orange clasp. When indoors, where she spent most of her time, she wore a variety of immodest pajamas which exposed certain areas of her bulging frame. Hedashield had a reasonable degree of regard for her appearance, keeping an extensive wardrobe with the clothes she deemed comfortable. By the time the Pearian had been located, Hedashield had a very large gut. She also had soft and tender skin. Because she was out of shape and lacked heavily in terms of physical strength, she relied on her henchmen to do most of her work in the Dark side of the Force. Personality and traits As the Supreme Leader of the Third Order, Xerin Hedashield is portrayed as a satanic temptress. She is a calculating and reserved young woman as well as a powerful and skilled mistress of the dark side of the Force. Darth Mutialatus respected her and claimed she was wise. In spite of her youth, Hedashield bore a vast knowledge of both the past and the Force. Although Hedashield's physical skills possibly had already faded from her as she gradually gained weight due to a shockingly sedentary life, her Force-aided abilities of persuasion, manipulation and perception were tremendous. She was very fond of food, especially chocolate truffles. Hedashield showed little emotion, appearing very calm, and never spoke openly of her worry or distress regarding the circumstances against her and the Third Order, believing it wise to portray herself to her troops as confident no matter what the odds. This was a stark contrast to the diabolical Darth Mutialatus, who was prone to violent outbursts when faced with frustration. Despite her intelligent, sophisticated, and calm demeanor, Hedashield was actually known to be incredibly sinister, cruel, arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic, and overall a truly satanic individual from presumably the most diabolical kind much like Darth Bane before her, although arguably far darker in overall nature than even the deceased Sith Lord. Hedashield, additionally, was certainly not an individual who tolerated failure, so if anyone from the Third Order failed in what they were supposed to do, Hedashield would not hesitate to order their execution by one of their fellow followers. Similar to other practitioners of the dark side, notably the Sith, Hedashield was motivated by fear, specifically the fear of losing her power. Xerin found it useful to maintain a system of followers drawn from the disenchanted aristocracy, disaffected paupers with long-gone noble origins, as well as criminal elements, and in the company of the few allowed in her private chamber, she spoke like one of them, lecturing on themes of absolute conquest and the proper order of society. The alliance between Xerin and those Darth Mutialatus commanded on her behalf was a natural result of the Sith Lord being chosen by the Sith themselves, of speaking for Hedashield in both political and military matters, and of promises to help them achieve their ends. Xerin had considered the idea of linking the Third Order with the Sith irresistable. Additionally, Hedashield was a cruel mistress as well as a predator, who identified weakness and exploited it, demonstrated by how Hedashield dominated not just the Third Order but specifically Mutialatus and Yaxa, making her a brutal tyrant. Like most dark siders, she suffered from enormous conceit and arrogance. Hedashield has created some weapons herself. To B'en'jamin Thorrn, she cleverly appeared an amorphous entity of shadowy mist floating around before she revealed herself, and captured him. As a child at school, Hedashield was initially very physically active, but going into both junior high and puberty, she gradually lost her interest in sports and became addicted to eating sweets, so other students noticed that by the time seventh grade was over she was undoubtedly gaining weight. Nevertheless, the increasingly sedentary teenager had lost none of her brilliance and was considered an intelligent, polite young woman who showed an enthusiasm to learn and was able to use her superficial charm to make many do what she wanted, showing her skill at being an exceptional master manipulator. She was scientifically clever enough to create an antidote for the Omnipotent One's condition. This, coupled with her reputation as a model pupil, had earned her the trust and respect of her teachers and peers and the people she induced into the Third Order after she graduated. However, this was all a ruse, as she was very manipulative, with her and her best friend, Vlaire, initiating numerous "nasty incidents" that happened throughout their time at school that the authorities were never completely able to link to them. Hedashield has shown a dark sense of sarcastic humor and is able to remain calm and unfazed in situations that would frighten and shock most others. Hedashield did not reveal herself as a Sith Lord to anyone except Darth Mutialatus. She is also very inactive, usually relying on her inventions or her lackeys to get what she wanted. She is extremely patient, as she keeps a low profile, lurking in the shadows and making others do her work for her, though this also was due to her being very (though understandably) mistrustful. When Kristen and B'en'jamin Thorrn escaped her clutches with evidence of her whereabouts, she hid her seething fury behind a mask of disappointment and calmly expressed her thoughts of their current situation to her followers, eventually letting off steam to Darth Mutialatus when they were alone. She was clearly effective, since the Dark Lord of the Sith clearly respected her, at least to some degree. However, Hedashield's patience has limits and when it is pushed to the edge, she is fully willing to take action when necessary, as after the devastation of the Jedi Order, she was finally comfortable with taking matters into her own hands and hunting down the Pearian herself. Despite her universally cruel and evil nature, Hedashield was still very empathetic and wise — B'en'jamin Thorrn has acknowledged the former and Darth Mutialatus has acknowledged the latter. She had some serious "trust issues" that were the result of her belief that no one in the Third Order was genuinely loyal to her as a person, instead turning their loyalty entirely to the cause itself, making her think they could care less about what happened to her. This is one of the driving factors that led her to isolate herself during the Conflict of the Numbers and the years of preparation beforehand, though it was quite obvious that in spite of finding her life enjoyable, she was extremely lonely. She was evidently very moved by B'en'jamin Thorrn's desire for her and his genuine loyalty she had never been shown before, and after he joined her she grew less hostile and was happier than she had been in many years, eventually assuming a more active role in the Order after the Battle of Coruscant (a role which is to be revealed in the third book). Powers and abilities Powers *'Dark side of the Force': Xerin Hedashield is extremely powerful and has an extremely strong connection to the Dark side of the Force. Her skills in the Force, unlike her physical strength, was tremendous. It is implied that Hedashield is far more powerful than B'en'jamin Thorrn or Darth Mutialatus. **'Telekinesis': She possessed an affinity for Telekinesis, which she was known using to choke and throw her opponents. She was able to immobilize and restrain her targets effortlessly, which allowed her to manipulate their movements. When Thorrn attempted to punch her during the Battle of Coruscant, she flung her hand at him, and while it didn't touch him, he fell back onto the chair. **'Force lightning': Hedashield was able to use Force lightning, which she blasted against the floor like a shockwave to knock her apprentice off his feet and cause him immense pain and writhe in horrible agony. *'Genius-level intelligence': Hedashield was not only strong in the Dark side, but also possessed an incredible intellect, as she was considered to be a brilliant student in her school on Vrean. Her intellect is evidenced by her strategic cunning in being able to mastermind and orchestrate a great war, overwhelming all of the galactic community and nearly triumphing. *'Charisma': Even at a young age, Hedashield displayed remarkable talent for the manipulation of others, being able to gain the trust of every teacher in her school. She also formed what appeared to be a close bond with an extremely cunning teenage girl, Vlaire. She was considered charming by most people who met her, and was able to inspire others to follow her. As an adult, her skills in manipulation grew even further, successfully convincing many beings to join her cause, although she also made use of blackmail and erstwhile conscription to get people to join her. *'Acting': Besides her formidable Dark side aptitude and extensive knowledge of the Force, Hedashield proved to be a consummate actress, being able to hide her true nature from almost everyone in school. She was able to convince all of the school staff and instructors that her facade of being a model student was her true personality. *'Leadership skills': Even when she was still only a young student, Hedashield was already a very effective leader, as she was able to lead Vlaire and her other friends to effectively sneak past surveillance, being responsible for several nasty incidences that were never connected to them, showing that even at a young age, Hedashield was a very competent leader. As she began isolating and she grew older and gained more experience in leading and thus honed leadership skills further, Hedashield's style of leadership presumably changed from the original charismatic rule of her friends to the tyrannical and completely ruthless - though no less highly effective - command of her followers demonstrated throughout both the Conflict of the Pearian and the Conflict of the Numbers. The best example of her efficiency as a leader would be the fact that he, with the help of less than forty united followers, assembled an army and prepared to engage both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. Former Powers Physical aptitude: In her childhood, Hedashield was in excellent physical condition, more so than most of her peers. However, by the time the Pearian had been located, Hedashield had soft muscles, tender skin, and a considerably large gut. Relationships Kristen Xerin and Kristen have been enemies ever since Kristen turned up in the Star Wars galaxy. Hedashield is very convinced of her power, believing even she does not know it. Initially, she was interested in turning Kristen to the Dark Side of the Force, but eventually became disenchanted with her. Viewing her loyalty to the Jedi Order as "shortsighted and ultimately unbreakable", Hedashield wanted her dead very badly and in so doing, wipe out the fabled Pearian once and for all. B'en'jamin Thorrn Xerin seems to have a peculiar love-hate relationship with Padawan Learner B'en'jamin Thorrn. Xerin first met B'en in a field when she followed them, pretending to be acting on the orders of Master Yoda. The two, along with Kristen, spent a night at Hedashield's apartment, which she concealed as the Third Order's headquarters. Hedashield became very fond of Thorrn during this time. In turn, Thorrn developed a crush on Hedashield, who was one of the few people to voluntarily show him kindness and compassion, to the extent that she even began to call him "Mr. Handsome". The two parted ways, though she later encountered Thorrn during the Skirmish on Coruscant, where Thorrn was horrified to learn who Hedashield really was. On the other hand, she greatly longed to turn him to the Dark side and train him. Although Hedashield only saw Thorrn twice prior to the Battle of Coruscant, the two formed a legitimate emotional connection in Kristen's absence. During said battle, Thorrn accompanied Hedashield and she tried swaying him to the Dark side to no avail. As a result, she captured him, though this turned out to be the point where Thorrn made a critical decision, as he was disenchanted with the Jedi Order and comforted in Hedashield's presence. Hedashield began training him, and he eventually captured Kristen for her, earning her respect as the Pearian had until then proven impossible to imprison by any means. It is clear that Hedashield was emotionally moved by his desire for her and his loyalty. Darth Mutialatus Darth Mutialatus was the apprentice of Xerin Hedashield and, as a result, her most loyal and trusted follower. He held a deep respect for his mistress and listened to her teachings closely. She considered him of great importance, believing that he was destined for greatness beyond imagining. However, upon the escapes of Kristen and of B'en'jamin Thorrn, Hedashield was infuriated and began rethinking her apprentice's future, planning to change his purpose or kill him due to his instability. Hedashield's faith in her apprentice was irreparably damaged, and the young woman began to see Mutialatus as little more than an instrument, calling him a wannabe galactic overlord. It would seem Xerin was particularly brutal towards him, as she felt threatened by his connection to the Dark side of the Force, which no other known Third Order individuals possessed, and clearly had to take extreme measures to remain the alpha in their relationship. Captain Cole Xerin initially was good friends with Captain Cole, captain of the Third Order, since he viewed her as his best bet to become a Sith Lord. Whether Xerin knew this is unknown, though unlikely. The two of them shared similar ideologies. While Hedashield continued to trust and possibly even like Cole, Cole realized Darth Mutialatus may have intended on overthrowing Hedashield someday, and based on that assumption, decided that he didn't want to serve her anymore, instead opting to claim her life to impress her right-hand man. He pretended to remain loyal, however, as he later told B'en'jamin Thorrn that quitting the Order was not an option in his eyes. While Xerin did not reveal her true emotions in his presence, she did allow him to comfort her when she was pretending to be agitated. Though she claimed she regretted the necessity of Cole's death at the hands of Darth Mutialatus, Xerin showed neither sadness nor concern for the loss of Cole's life. The Captain Xerin had a good relationship with Captain Cole's successor, known only as "the Captain". The two of them agreed on practically everything. Third Order members Those who served the Third Order followed Xerin Hedashield, fighting as the upper echelon of her army during the Conflict of the Numbers. However, Hedashield did not take kindly to failure or disloyalty from her servants, and she made sure those who had failed to carry out important tasks paid the price. It is unclear if she truly valued them or was merely using them, but Hedashield knew almost all of her followers were loyal entirely to the cause, not to the woman herself, as the few members in which she placed any genuine trust were Darth Mutialatus and Yaxa though, as time passed, she lost trust in them due to constant failures or wavering trust. The one member of the Third Order she appeared to trust unconditionally was B'en'jamin Thorrn. Hedashield greatly appreciated his loyalty. Some of Hedashield's known followers were Marion, General Gore, Captain Cole, the Captain, and Lieutenant Juliah. ]] Captain Cole defected after becoming disillusioned with the Third Order lifestyle, hoping to impress Darth Mutialatus. Omnipotent One It is unknown how Xerin Hedashield felt about fellow school student the Omnipotent One, but she made him a complex antidote when he was feeling ill. While he was fond of her, he had no idea she was behind the Third Order. Vlaire During her junior high education, Xerin befriended a girl named Vlaire, a girl who, like her, was ambitious and was good at projecting a "sweet little girl" facade. The two became the best of friends. She came to love Xerin with a passion, and while she appreciated Vlaire in turn, she felt no real emotional attachment to her. The two spent a lot of time together and enjoyed initiating numerous "nasty incidents" that happened throughout their time at school that the authorities were never completely able to link to them. The two sadly bade each other goodbye after Hedashield fled to Der Erebolten. Gallery Across the Portal: Insurgence Xerin Hedashield Observation I.png Across the Portal: Intuition Across the Portal 3 - Xerin.jpg Xerin.jpg Xerinside7.jpg Xerintakingoffcloak7.jpg Bluetravelattire.jpg Behind the scenes From the beginning of the writing process, D. Isaac Thomas knew he didn't want the character who would ultimately become the antagonist of the Across the Portal trilogy to look old and decrepit like Lord Sidious, and when he had the idea to make her female, he realized how unique he could make her compared to other villains from both Star Wars and D.I.T. media. Ultimately, he based both her appearance and personality on early character development for Charity Hirz from Annie and the Blue-Eared Kid of the D.I.T. Literary Universe. Appearances *''Across the Portal: Interference'' *''Across the Portal: Insurgence'' *''Across the Portal: Intuition'' (unreleased) References Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Overweight characters Category:Villains Category:Across the Portal characters Category:Wise characters Category:Military characters Category:Third Order characters Category:Normal weight characters Category:Femme fatale Category:Complete Monster Category:Villains who aren't revealed to be bad at first Category:Iconic characters Category:D.I.T. characters Category:Bullies Category:Thieves Category:Pilots